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Wed, 09/06/2017 - 2:42pmHolly1

Harvey and Irma

Linda Jones

“Harvey was just hanging out around the Gulf Coast, one foot in the Gulf and one on land. There were two high pressure systems that wouldn’t let Harvey move, so for three or four days Harvey just sat around Texas and dumped rain. A lot of rain. A new record for rain totals from one storm in the continental U.S. — 51.88 inches.” (Google)

How much water is that? Depends on who you ask. Weatherbell.com says 19 trillion (yes, trillion) gallons.

In less than a week, Harvey has broken 60 years of U.S. continental records.

Harvey actually hit land two separate times — the first in Houston, then back out to the Gulf for a little more water before coming back to Cedar Bayou, Texas, for a second thump. Pending confirmation, Harvey will be the heaviest storm since 1950, with Harvey’s 51+ inches of rain topping the 48-inch storm total in Medina, Texas, from Tropical Storm Amelia in 1978.

Harvey is the first major (category three or stronger) hurricane to make landfall since Hurricane Wilma struck South Florida in Oct., 2005, almost a 12-year run.

The storm surge from Harvey was more than 6.6 feet, recorded at Port Lavaca, Texas, with destructive surges reported all along the Texas coastal bend.

I didn’t know that hurricanes spawned torna­does. I suppose I should have, but I was surprised to read that there have been a dozen tornadoes already.

Along with most of us I guess, I remember Hurricane Katrina well. Katrina was the largest and third strongest (at the time, before Harvey) hurricane to make landfall in the U.S.

Katrina was a real disaster as the levees in New Orleans were built for up to category three hurricanes. Katrina made landfall as a category five with winds up to 175 mph. Katrina also claimed more than 1,800 lives.

Harvey is still dumping rain as of Tuesday. And, as of Tuesday, Hurricane Irma is deciding where she wants to go now.

Already being called a “monster” storm, the weather people are saying depending on where Irma makes landfall, etc., she could hit as a category five. Her winds could be stronger than Harvey’s.

Irma could go up the East Coast. She could track up into the Gulf. She’s almost surely going to hit the Carribean Islands, then Cuba and surrounding islands.